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Without Le Fromentier, Montreal's finest breadmaker, I don't think I could've survived my life as a tennis-spectating nomad last week. It helped that this artisanal bakery was on my daily route to the tournament site. I would make a morning trek to its sprawling subterranean studio filled with various giant ovens, both wood-burning and industrial ones, and stock up on fuel for the day.

Le Fomentier does not have a web presence. They are well known in Montreal though. Certainly everyone in its neighbourhood knows how to find the place: 1375 Laurier E. (514-527-3327). When you visit you can pick up the "Carte des pains" pamphlet. But since I'm worried that people like me are not so good at retaining scraps of paper in the Google age we live in, I'm giving Le Fromentier a web presence right here. If for no other reason than it will help me and my friends more easily keep track of which of our favourite loaves are baked on what day.

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) Le Fromentier makes too many different pastries -- just a few of them are lovingly photographed above -- to commit them to a baking schedule that would allow one to intercept them as they emerge on the cooling racks. However, a thorough and summerlong investigation has revealed that the best viennoisserie called L'Agrumier or "the Citrus-y one" is reliably for sale each weekend, and usually Fridays too (LF is open every day from 7 am, but closed Mondays). This amazing Danish with candied orange and anise is at the height of authentic French pastry making and definitely worth the week of waiting. Other favourites are noted with an asterisk above.

I have to say that last week Le Fromentier made my marathon tennis adventures more sane. And certainly more French too, which is something that in the face of losing defending champ Amélie Mauresmo for this year's tournament roster, cheered me and my innate Frenchness up a great deal (perhaps I just misused the word "sane").

As far as I was concerned, I had my French baked goods and I got to see French tennis star Nathalie "pass the raisin dutchie" Dechy. I was happy.